MS SR42

Commends retired United States Air Force Colonel Carlyle Smith "Smitty" Harris for his service and heroism as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

Recognizes Colonel Harris as the sixth American POW captured in the air war over North Vietnam on April 4, 1965, and honors his eight-year imprisonment at Hoa Lo Prison ("Hanoi Hilton").

Acknowledges Colonel Harris' development and teaching of the Tap Code, a nonverbal communication technique using wall and pipe tapping that enabled imprisoned POWs to maintain morale, unity, and communication with leadership while avoiding detection by captors.

Honors Colonel Harris' military decorations including two Silver Stars, three Legion of Merit Medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Heart Medals, and Eagle Awards.

Recognizes the contributions of his wife Louise Harris as a POW wife who advocated for policies providing information and assistance to families of POWs, and notes his post-war residence in Tupelo, Mississippi and publication of his biography "Tap Code: The Epic Survival of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code that Changed Everything."